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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rule — government
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fall — to drop
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rule — a law
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — in sport
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a line
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com